Beyond Design-Build: Bringing Architecture Back Into The Integrated Construction Model

Stack + Co. principal Andrew Keating doesn’t like the term “design-build.” 

The construction model — where design and construction services are handled by the same firm — is growing across the U.S. Research from FMI found that design-build is expected to account for as much as 47% of construction spending in the nonresidential, highway/street, transportation and water/wastewater sectors between 2021 and 2025. 

But as the demand for design-build grows, Keating said the model is missing a key element: architecture. 

“The term ‘design-build’ is an acceptable way to get a basic understanding of what we do, but we don’t consider ourselves a design-build firm,” he said. “The absence of the word ‘architecture’ from that phrase is telling. Design-build is a process that often de-emphasizes architecture. We are both an architecture firm and a construction company, which is why we prefer the term ‘integrated services’ or ‘integrated architecture and construction.’” 

Keating, a registered architect, works with fellow founder and principal Josh Brandt, who is a construction manager and developer, to bring architecture back into the design-build model. This involves taking what Keating describes as a “highly specific approach” that takes branding and design aesthetics just as seriously as construction budgets and schedules. 

He said few other companies boast the same level of combined construction and architecture expertise as Boston-based Stack. 

"Just combining architecture and construction isn't in and of itself an end goal," Keating said. "It's just a process. For us, it's about using the combination of those two things, having them under one roof to create amazing, unexpected results."

Stack’s approach and results have made it a go-to for restaurant design, and the firm has been named one of the best restaurant contractors in Boston.

While retail and restaurant spaces have been a passion for Stack since its start in 2008, it works in a number of other verticals, including institutional and academic facilities, and the firm has a rapidly growing multifamily development portfolio.  

Keating said that many of the firm’s retail clients have clients of their own, so Stack thinks beyond the build and toward what will drive those clients through the door. When approaching branded environments in the retail space, Stack works with the client to translate its brand into an architectural space. For some clients, this is their first time approaching this process. They have a brand, identity and personality and are figuring out how to make that tangible and create an environment that suits them. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Stack works on rollout projects for clients that have built-in standards for their stores that the firm brings to life in a new area. Sometimes, however, a client falls in between the two categories. 

Keating gave the example of Blue Bottle Coffee, a chain that has a strong identity, but every location is different. It aims to be recognizable but still unique in each space, he said. Stack has done three locations for the company and in each one was able to maintain Blue Bottle’s identity while adding flourishes that make visiting each cafe a unique experience. 

He also mentioned Bon Me, a Boston-based food truck and restaurant company for which Stack handled all of the major brick-and-mortar expansion campaigns. When Stack first started with Bon Me, the company had six food trucks and only one brick-and-mortar location.

“We did seven locations for them, starting with a location in Fort Point in Boston,” he said. “That was a process of creating a strategy for them to do multiple locations while building in a little bit of flexibility. Every lease space is different in terms of its shape, characteristics and size.” 

Stack also brought the first location of the UK Brand Mountain Warehouse to the U.S. The company had a dedicated design department in the UK, and Stack was able to use its local expertise with building officials, permitting and compliance to work with its design department. It was able to implement Mountain Warehouse’s rigorous standard of what its stores are like at home into the U.S. market. 

The company is expanding its mixed-use and multi-unit residential portfolio, designing retail centers for major developments. It is working on a 200K SF development in Bedford, New Hampshire, called Market and Main, designing the entire retail center and doing some of the fit-out work. 

When asked why integrating architecture and construction makes for a better project, Keating said it is partially because it gives Stack the ability to do more ambitious projects by having everything under the same roof. For clients, however, what is particularly important about this approach is it provides faster feedback loops between design and construction work, particularly on the subjects of cost and schedules. 

“When we do our process, clients get a much earlier and much more granular sense of costs than they do when they work in a conventional way,” he said. “There isn't this long tail of designing something, waiting a long time while it's priced and learning then way too late in the process that costs need to be recalibrated. It happens in real time. Even when we are serving as solely the architect and not the builder, every project benefits from the input of our construction experience.” 

Looking toward the future, Stack plans to continue to build out its market share, but the company doesn't believe in growth for growth’s sake, Keating said. Stack is passionate about sustainability and has doubled down on its commitments with the recent addition of associate principal Colin Booth, who brings to the team extensive experience in hypersustainable architecture, planning and multifamily development.  

“The recent advance in building energy codes leaves little excuse not to embrace a real leadership position in decarbonizing the housing market,” Keating said. “Similarly, the rise of environmental, social and corporate governance reporting means large-scale commercial landlords are wrestling with how to align their tenants to their larger portfolio sustainability goals.”  

That trend presents a golden opportunity for companies like Stack to help its clients define and realize their own missions. 

“When a company decides to grow, it’s important to not only think about the ‘how’ but also the ‘why,’” Keating said. “And our goal is to expand the positive impacts of our work on the environment, for us and for our clients.”  

This article was produced in collaboration between Studio B and Stack + Co. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.